Ancient Tomb MTG Card


Card setsReleased in 12 setsSee all
RarityUncommon
TypeLand

Key Takeaways

  1. Ancient Tomb boosts mana opportunities, allowing for casting of high-cost spells early in the game.
  2. The card’s life point cost per usage balances its potent mana-acceleration ability.
  3. Its versatility makes Ancient Tomb a coveted asset, enhancing various deck strategies.

Text of card

oc T: Add two colorless mana to your mana pool. Ancient Tomb deals 2 damage to you.

There is no glory to be gained in the kingdom of the dead. —Vec tomb inscription


Card Pros

Card Advantage: While Ancient Tomb does not directly influence the number of cards in hand, it propels you ahead by providing an immediate boost in mana resources, effectively outpacing opponents by allowing access to more expensive spells sooner than expected.

Resource Acceleration: Ancient Tomb is a powerhouse in terms of resource acceleration. By tapping for two colorless mana, it lets players cast high-impact spells earlier in the game, which can create a significant tempo advantage over opponents who are still ramping up their mana base.

Instant Speed: Although Ancient Tomb is a land and not used at instant speed, it generates mana that can be used for instant speed interactions. The flexibility to tap Ancient Tomb whenever necessary provides the versatility to respond to an opponent’s moves or capitalize on a prime opportunity during the course of a turn.


Card Cons

Discard Requirement: While Ancient Tomb allows you to generate two colorless mana, it doesn’t come without its drawbacks. Each time you tap it for mana, it demands a different kind of payment – two life points. This can quickly add up, especially in a fast-paced game where maintaining a healthy life total is key.

Specific Mana Cost: The mana produced by Ancient Tomb is colorless, which restricts its flexibility in decks that require more colored mana for casting spells. Thus, in some deck archetypes, Ancient Tomb may not be as beneficial as a land that could produce multiple types of colored mana.

Comparatively High Mana Cost: Although Ancient Tomb doesn’t have a mana cost to play, the price of losing two life for each activation can be seen as a steep cost in the context of a long game. In MTG where resource management is crucial, the life loss from Ancient Tomb could be detrimental against decks that capitalize on reducing the opponent’s life total swiftly.


Reasons to Include Ancient Tomb in Your Collection

Versatility: Ancient Tomb is a powerhouse land card that effortlessly slots into a wide variety of decks, offering an exceptional mana boost regardless of your deck’s color. Its ability to tap for two colorless mana makes it a staple in efficient ramp and colorless strategies.

Combo Potential: This card provides immediate access to additional mana, which is essential for setting up and executing game-winning combos early on. It pairs well with cards that offset its life loss drawback or benefit from the quick acceleration.

Meta-Relevance: Ancient Tomb has been a consistently powerful card in various meta environments. Its presence in a deck can tip the scales, especially in formats where quick mana advantage is decisive. Whether in competitive play or casual circles, including this card can give you a critical edge.


How to beat

Ancient Tomb is a powerful land card that gives players access to additional mana at the cost of life points. This trade-off can be quite advantageous in decks that aim to ramp up quickly, deploying threats or enablers earlier than opponents. To effectively counter this strategy, players should consider the speed and control elements of their own decks. Implementing land destruction or stax effects can disrupt an opponent’s mana base, negating the benefits offered by Ancient Tomb. A card like Ghost Quarter can target and remove the land, while strategies featuring cards like Blood Moon can render Ancient Tomb far less effective.

Additionally, managing the race of life totals becomes crucial when facing decks that utilize Ancient Tomb. Aggressive decks can capitalize on the life loss sustained by opponents using this card, potentially closing games before the mana advantage becomes overwhelming. Combining disruption with pressure can be the key to outmaneuvering an opponent leveraging Ancient Tomb. Paying close attention to the deck’s tempo and balancing between defensive and offensive plays, you can successfully navigate around the challenges posed by this potent land card.

Understanding the role Ancient Tomb plays in an opponent’s strategy and having a well-prepared sideboard can ultimately tip the balance in your favor in competitive MTG matches.


Cards like Ancient Tomb

Ancient Tomb stands out as a highly sought-after land card among dedicated players of Magic: The Gathering. It shares common ground with other mana-producing lands like Temple of the False God. Both cards are capable of ramping up a player’s mana pool, but Ancient Tomb does so at the expense of 2 life points each time it’s tapped for mana. In comparison, Temple of the False God requires a player to control at least five lands before it grants that extra mana, with no life point cost.

City of Traitors is another card that treads a proximate path, offering the same amount of mana without the life loss. But City of Traitors comes with a stringent limitation—it sacrifices itself when another land is played. Mana Confluence and City of Brass also provide versatile mana solutions, yet they chip away at a player’s life total every time they are tapped, unlike Ancient Tomb which only deals damage when its mana is utilized.

Evaluating their distinctive features unveils that Ancient Tomb has an edge, particularly in decks that are less concerned with life total and more about accelerating their board presence swiftly. This makes Ancient Tomb an invaluable asset in various strategic plots within the game.

Temple of the False God - MTG Card versions
City of Traitors - MTG Card versions
Mana Confluence - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Temple of the False God - Scourge (SCG)
City of Traitors - Exodus (EXO)
Mana Confluence - Journey into Nyx (JOU)
City of Brass - Arabian Nights (ARN)

Cards similar to Ancient Tomb by color, type and mana cost

Mishra's Factory - MTG Card versions
Griffin Canyon - MTG Card versions
Ice Floe - MTG Card versions
Ghost Town - MTG Card versions
City of Brass - MTG Card versions
Bloodstained Mire - MTG Card versions
Zoetic Cavern - MTG Card versions
Grixis Panorama - MTG Card versions
Rupture Spire - MTG Card versions
Terramorphic Expanse - MTG Card versions
Tectonic Edge - MTG Card versions
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - MTG Card versions
Buried Ruin - MTG Card versions
Wasteland - MTG Card versions
Eldrazi Temple - MTG Card versions
Maze of Ith - MTG Card versions
Homeward Path - MTG Card versions
Arid Mesa - MTG Card versions
Field of Ruin - MTG Card versions
Arcane Lighthouse - MTG Card versions
Mishra's Factory - Dominaria Remastered (DMR)
Griffin Canyon - Visions (VIS)
Ice Floe - Fifth Edition (5ED)
Ghost Town - Tempest (TMP)
City of Brass - World Championship Decks 2002 (WC02)
Bloodstained Mire - World Championship Decks 2003 (WC03)
Zoetic Cavern - Future Sight (FUT)
Grixis Panorama - Commander 2013 (C13)
Rupture Spire - Magic Online Theme Decks (TD0)
Terramorphic Expanse - Commander 2018 (C18)
Tectonic Edge - Zendikar Expeditions (EXP)
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx - Theros (THS)
Buried Ruin - Commander 2014 (C14)
Wasteland - Zendikar Rising Expeditions (ZNE)
Eldrazi Temple - Duel Decks: Zendikar vs. Eldrazi (DDP)
Maze of Ith - Eternal Masters (EMA)
Homeward Path - Judge Gift Cards 2017 (J17)
Arid Mesa - Modern Masters 2017 (MM3)
Field of Ruin - Innistrad: Midnight Hunt (MID)
Arcane Lighthouse - Commander Anthology Volume II (CM2)

Where to buy

If you're looking to purchase Ancient Tomb MTG card by a specific set like Tempest and World Championship Decks 1999, there are several reliable options to consider. One of the primary sources is your local game store, where you can often find booster packs, individual cards, and preconstructed decks from current and some past sets. They often offer the added benefit of a community where you can trade with other players.

For a broader inventory, particularly of older sets, online marketplaces like TCGPlayer, Card Kingdom and Card Market offer extensive selections and allow you to search for cards from specific sets. Larger e-commerce platforms like eBay and Amazon also have listings from various sellers, which can be a good place to look for sealed product and rare finds.

Additionally, Magic’s official site often has a store locator and retailer lists for finding Wizards of the Coast licensed products. Remember to check for authenticity and the condition of the cards when purchasing, especially from individual sellers on larger marketplaces.

Below is a list of some store websites where you can buy the Ancient Tomb and other MTG cards:

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Printings

The Ancient Tomb Magic the Gathering card was released in 9 different sets between 1997-10-14 and 2023-06-23. Illustrated by 5 different artists.

#ReleaseNameCodeSymbolNumberFrameLayoutBorderArtist
11997-10-14TempestTMP 3151997normalblackColin MacNeil
21999-08-04World Championship Decks 1999WC99 kb3151997normalgoldColin MacNeil
31999-08-04World Championship Decks 1999WC99 mlp3151997normalgoldColin MacNeil
42012-08-31From the Vault: RealmsV12 12003normalblackColin MacNeil
52014-06-16Vintage MastersVMA 2892015normalblackColin MacNeil
62015-10-02Zendikar ExpeditionsEXP 362015normalblackHoward Lyon
72018-12-07Ultimate MastersUMA 2362015normalblackYeong-Hao Han
82020-09-25Zendikar Rising ExpeditionsZNE 212015normalblackAdam Paquette
92020-09-26The ListPLST TMP-3151997normalblackColin MacNeil
102023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 387z2015normalborderlessAnastasia Balakchina
112023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3872015normalborderlessAnastasia Balakchina
122023-06-23Tales of Middle-earth CommanderLTC 3572015normalborderlessAnastasia Balakchina

Legalities

Magic the Gathering formats where Ancient Tomb has restrictions

FormatLegality
CommanderLegal
LegacyLegal
OathbreakerLegal
PremodernLegal
VintageLegal
DuelBanned
PredhLegal

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